Voice-activated tuning of broadcast channels

ABSTRACT

A method for voice-activated tuning of broadcast programs. A system architecture of an embodiment of the present invention comprises a microphone, a signal converter, a digital signal processor (DSP), a memory, a tuner, and an output device. A method for implementing an embodiment of the present invention comprises the following steps. First, the relationships between voice commands and channels are created. The relationships are preferably stored in the memory. Second, when a speech segment (comprising one or more words) is spoken by a user, the speech segment is captured by the microphone. Third, the microphone transforms the speech segment into an analog signal. Fourth, the signal converter converts the analog signal to a digital signal. Fifth, the DSP receives the digital signal and determines whether the speech segments matches one of the voice commands. Sixth, if the speech segment is determined to comprise a voice command, the DSP instructs the tuner to tune in to the channel or channels that have been previously associated with the voice command.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to entertainment systems, andmore particularly, to a system and method that enables voice-activatedtuning of broadcast channels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Radios and television sets are being used to receive wireless or cablebroadcast programming. A tuner or a similar device on the radios andtelevision sets is used to receive a program being broadcast on achannel. For discussion purposes, radios, television sets, and similarelectrical apparatus or electronic devices having a tuner arecollectively referred to hereinafter as broadcast programming receivers.

In a country such as the United States, there are hundreds of broadcastchannels, each of which can be accessible to various broadcastprogramming receivers. To receive a specific program on a specificchannel, the tuner of a broadcast programming receiver is used to adjustthe receiving frequency. The tuner can be operated by a user of thereceiver through a controller (such as a rotating knob, a dialer, akeypad, and the like). The controller can be an integral component ofthe receiver. More commonly, however, the controller is a remote controlunit that can communicate with the receiver using infrared, RF, or otherwireless technologies.

Efforts have been made to incorporate voice recognition capabilities inthe receivers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,571 issued to Chuang(“The Chuang patent”) on Jul. 7, 1998, discloses a remote control devicethat has voice recognition and user ID restriction functions for theoperation of a receiver. The Chuang invention has a voice training modeduring which signal characteristics of an authorized user are stored ina memory. The invention further comprises an instruction execution modeduring which a voice command received from a user is compared to thevoice command previously stored in the memory. If it is determined thatthe voice command is received from the authorized user, an outputcontrol device of the invention outputs a corresponding control signal.The Chuang patent is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,088 issued to Ciluffo (“The Ciluffopatent”) on Sep. 12, 2000, discloses a programmer having a voicerecognition capability for control of various appliances. The Ciluffoprogrammer can be adapted to recognize only one voice to enable a parentto prevent a child from using the programmer. In addition, theprogrammer can be adapted to accept different sets of instructions fromdifferent individuals and operate an apparatus based on a hierarchy ofthe different individuals if voice commands are received from more thanone user. The Ciluffo patent is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,865 issued to Amano et al. (“The Amano patent”) onDec. 17, 1996, discloses a “television broadcast receiver which selectsprograms by genre and past viewing habits.” When an Amano receiverreceives a genre code from a user, the receiver tunes in the channelthat has a past record of highest frequency of reception among allchannels that are associated with the genre code. The Amano patent isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,444 issued to Yoshinobu (“The Yoshinobu patent”) onMay 31, 1998, discloses a “broadcast receiving apparatus thatautomatically records frequency watched programs.” The Yoshinobuapparatus automatically records a user's frequently tuned in programmingwhen the user is not watching the programming at the day and time whenthe user is expected to tune in to the channel. The Yoshinobu patent isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,988 issued to Williams et al. (“The Williamspatent”) on Aug. 31, 1999, discloses a “method and apparatus forautomatically determining and dynamically updating user preferences inan entertainment system.” The Williams invention monitors a user'sinteraction with an entertainment system. Based on the interaction, theinvention can automatically determine which of a plurality of users iscurrently using the entertainment system. The Williams patent isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,009 issued to Ohkura et al. (“The Ohkura patent”) onOct. 3, 2000, discloses a “Program guide controller.” In this invention,programs of high viewing frequency of a user are automaticallyregistered, permitting registered programs to be included in genreinformation. The Ohkura patent is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a system and method that enables a user to usehis or her voice to operate a tuner of a broadcast programming receiver.A system of the present invention can be adapted to operate based onvoice commands that are speaker-dependent (i.e., the voice commands mustbe spoken by specific persons) or those that are speaker-independent(i.e., the voice commands can be spoken by any person). Accordingly, inone embodiment of the present invention, the system can be operated byspoken words of one or more authorized users whose voices have been usedto create speaker-dependent voice commands, to the exclusion of thevoices of other persons. In another embodiment, the system recognizesvoice commands spoken by any person. In still another embodiment, thesystem can operate using both speaker-dependent and speaker-independentvoice commands.

A voice command, regardless of whether it is speaker-dependent orspeaker-independent, can comprise one or more words. For example, thevoice command can comprise a channel or station identifier. Theidentifier can be one of several variations. Examples of the identifierinclude call letters (e.g., “WZZZ” and “KYY”), station names (e.g., “Fox5” and “CNN”), frequencies (e.g., “FM 107.9” and “AM 1200”), and unique,personal identifiers (e.g., “John's favorite sports channel” and “Jane'sfavorite classical music station”). The voice command instructs thetuner of the receiver to tune in to a specific channel that has beenassociated with the voice command.

The voice command can also comprise a genre. The genre can be one ofseveral categories of programs. For example, in the context oftelevision broadcasting, one genre may be “Sports,” and another genremay be “News.” In the context of radio broadcasting, a first genre maybe, for example, “country music,” and a second genre may be, forexample, “talk radio.” Each genre comprises one or more channels orstations having the same theme or the same type of programming. If avoice command comprises a genre, the voice command is interpreted by theprocessor to “surf,” “scan,” or “browse” all the channels associatedwith the genre, unless the user otherwise interrupts. For example, if a“Sports” genre comprises five sports channels, the tuner tunes in toeach of the five sports channels when a voice command comprises “Sports”is received. In one specific embodiment, a channel associated with thegenre can be tuned in for a specific amount of time, e.g., from aboutone second to about 30 seconds, before another channel is tuned in. Thetuner can continuously and alternatively tuning in to all the channelsof the genre unless another voice command is received.

A system architecture of an embodiment of the present inventioncomprises a microphone, a signal converter, a digital signal processor(DSP), a memory, a tuner, and an output device. A method forimplementing an embodiment of the present invention comprises thefollowing steps. First, the relationships between voice commands andchannels are created. The relationships are preferably stored in thememory. Second, when a speech segment (comprising one or more words) isspoken by a user, the speech segment is captured by the microphone.Third, the microphone transforms the speech segment into an analogsignal. Fourth, the signal converter converts the analog signal to adigital signal. Fifth, the DSP receives the digital signal anddetermines whether the speech segment matches one of the voice commands.Sixth, if the speech segment is determined to comprise a voice command,the DSP instructs the tuner to tune in to the channel or channels thathave been previously associated with the voice command.

In one aspect of the present invention, a user can associate one or morevoice commands with one or more channels by programming the receiverherself. In this aspect of the invention, the voice commands arepreferably speaker-dependent. In another aspect of the presentinvention, a manufacturer of the receiver can preloadspeaker-independent voice commands in the receiver. In still anotheraspect of the invention, a user can modify some or all voice commandspreviously created by a manufacturer of the receiver.

In one specific implementation of the present invention in which a radioof a vehicle is a receiver of the present invention, convenience andsafety to occupants of the vehicle can be substantially increased. Insuch implementation, a driver of the vehicle can safely tune the radiowith his or her voice while keeping both hands on the steering wheel andeyes on the road.

In another specific implementation of the present invention in which atelevision set is a receiver of the present invention, the need for aremote control unit can be completely eliminated, resulting in lessstress for users who frequently have to find their misplaced remotecontrol units.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general architecture of anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating general steps involved in using anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the general architecture ofanother embodiment of the present invention, in which some components ofthe system are part of a remote control unit.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating general steps involved in usinganother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating general steps involved in usinganother embodiment of the present invention, in which a triggering wordor phrase is required before a receiver monitors for a voice command.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general architecture of anembodiment of the present invention. Receiver 100 is a broadcastprogramming receiver of the present invention. Receiver 100 can be aradio, a television set, or a similar device that can be used to receiveand reproduce broadcast programming. For discussion purposes, assumethat receiver 100 is a radio installed in a vehicle.

Receiver 100 comprises microphone 110, converter 130, processor 140,memory 150, tuner 160, and output device 170. Output device 170 can be,for example, one or more speakers. Although it is depicted in FIG. 1 asan integrated unit, each component of receiver 100 can be separatelyinstalled within the vehicle. For example, microphone 110 may beinstalled on the hub of the steering wheel, or it can be integratedwithin the driver-side visor. Similarly, output device 170 can beinstalled at multiple locations within the cabin of the vehicle. In viewof the prior art references that have been incorporated by referenceabove, it is noted that one skilled in the art can easily select thetype of suitable microphone, converter, processor, memory, tuner, outputdevice, and other components that are necessary to implement thisembodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, receiver 100 functions as follows. First, whenreceiver 100 is powered on, it can automatically tune in to a defaultchannel. The default channel may be the last tuned in channel beforereceiver 100 was previously powered off. The default channel may also bea specific channel that a user of receiver 100 has selected to be his orher favorite channel. Whenever receiver 100 is powered on, microphone110 is on standby. Microphone 110 continuously captures speech segmentsspoken by all occupants (including the driver and passengers) of thevehicle.

When one occupant says, for example, “FM 107.9”, microphone 110 capturesthe speech segment. Microphone 110 then transforms the speech segmentinto an analog signal. The analog signal is then provided to converter130. Converter 130 subsequently converts the analog signal into adigital signal. When processor 140 receives the digital signal fromconverter 130, it makes a determination.

The determination made by processor 140 can involve one or more tasksthat processor 140 is adapted to perform. For example, processor 140 cancompare the digital signal that comprises the speech segment “FM 107.9”to one or more voice commands previously stored in memory 150. If thespeech segment matches a voice command previously stored in memory 150,processor 140 instructs tuner 160 to tune in a channel that isassociated with the voice command. For example, tuner 160 can tune tofrequency 107.9 MHz on the frequency modulation (“FM”) band. Finally,the programming being broadcast on FM 107.9 is reproduced by outputdevice 170.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating general steps involved in using anembodiment of the present invention. In step 202, information is storedin memory 150. The information comprises relationships between voicecommands and channels. The relationships could be associated by amanufacturer of receiver 100. The relationships may also be created by auser of receiver 100. Step 202 can be performed in accordance with knownmethods and technologies. For example, the teachings of the patentsincorporated by reference may be used in step 202. Specifically,receiver 100 can be adapted to have a training mode that is disclosed inthe Chuang patent.

Specific relationships or association between voice commands andchannels created in step 202 can include, for example, those shown inTable 1 below. Each channel in this embodiment is represented by a bandand a frequency.

TABLE 1 Voice Command Band Frequency “WZZZ” FM 107.9 MHz “WABC” FM  99.9MHz “WEXZ” AM  1300 KHz “WQPM” AM  1620 KHz

The specific voice commands, bands, and frequencies shown in Table 1 arefor illustration purposes. The voice commands in the left columnrepresent call letters of radio stations that broadcast on the bands andfrequencies shown in the middle and right columns, respectively. Forexample, the channel that operates on frequency 107.9 MHz on the FM bandis operated by a radio station having the call letter “WZZZ”. Similarly,the station operating on the frequency of 1300 KHz on the amplitudemodulation (AM) band is known as “WEXZ.” In addition to using callletters as voice commands, other alternatives, including those shown inTable 2 below, can be used as voice commands.

TABLE 2 Voice command Channel “Atlanta's Best Station” WZZZ “107.9” WZZZ“FM 107.9” WZZZ “Bob's favorite station” WZZZ

As shown in Table 2, the radio station operating on the FM band atfrequency 107.9 MHz, namely, WZZZ, may be identified by a user using anumber of different identifiers that may be used as voice commands tooperate receiver 100. These voice commands may be speaker-dependent orspeaker-independent. Speaker-dependent means that receiver 100 will tunein to one channel associated with a voice command that is spoken by aspecific person. For example, “Atlanta's Best Station” and “Bob'sfavorite station” may be speaker-dependent voice commands.Speaker-independent means that a voice command spoken by any person canbe used to operate receiver 100. Speaker-independent voice commands caninclude, for example, “107.9” and “FM 107.9”. It is noted that each ofTables 1 and 2 can be expanded or otherwise modified so that a pluralityof voice commands can be related to or associated with a plurality ofchannels.

In step 204, when a speech segment is spoken by a user, the speechsegment is captured by microphone 110. Microphone 110 then transformsthe speech segment into an analog signal. In step 206, converter 130receives the analog signal and converts the analog signal to a digitalsignal. In step 208, processor 140 receives the digital signal andcompares it to the voice commands previously stored in memory 150.

In step 210, if the digital signal (that comprises the captured speechsegment) is recognized as a valid voice command (i.e., the speechsegment spoken by the user is one that which has been stored as a voicecommand in memory 150), processor 140 instructs tuner 160 to tune in tothe channel that has been associated with the voice command. Forexample, if one of the voice commands associated with WZZZ is received,tuner 160 will tune to frequency 107.9 MHz on the FM band. For instance,if a user says, “FM 107.9,” output device 170 will, in step 212,reproduce the sounds broadcast by WZZZ at the frequency of 107.9 MHz onthe FM band. In embodiments in which “FM 107.9” is a speaker-dependentvoice command, only the user whose voice was used to create the voicecommand will be able to properly operate receiver 100. In embodiments inwhich “FM 107.9” is a speaker-independent voice command, the speaking of“FM 107.9” by any user will result in receiver 100 tuning in to thechannel.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the general architecture ofanother embodiment of the present invention, in which some components ofthe system are part of a remote control unit.

System 300 comprises remote control unit 302 and receiver unit 304.Remote control unit comprises microphone 310, converter 330, and signalgenerator 390. Receiver unit 304 comprises signal receiving circuit 380,processor 340, memory 350, tuner 360, and output device 370.

General characteristics of microphone 310, converter 330, processor 340,memory 350, tuner 360, and output device 370 are similar tocorresponding microphone 110, converter 130, processor 140, memory 150,tuner 160, and output device 170, respectively, that are depicted inFIG. 1 and described above.

Signal generator 390 can be any known wireless signal generator. Forexample, signal generator 390 can be an RF signal generator or aninfrared generator. Signal generator 390 receives the digital signalfrom converter 330 and transmits it over the air. Signal receivingcircuit 380 receives the signal transmitted by signal generator 390.Like signal generator 390, signal receiver circuit 380 can be any knownwireless signal receiver circuit. For example, signal receiver circuit380 can be an RF signal receiver or an infrared receiver, depending onthe type of signal transmitted by signal generator 390.

System 300 can be, for example, a television set. Output device 370 cancomprise one or more speakers and a monitor.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using anotherembodiment of the present invention, in which a voice command isassociated with a genre.

Step 402 through 406 are similar to corresponding steps 202 through 206shown in FIG. 2 and described above. In addition to the Chuang patent,the teachings of other patents incorporated by reference above may beadapted to implement this embodiment and other embodiments of thepresent invention. Specifically, technologies disclosed in the Amanopatent, the Williams patent, and the Ohkura patents may be adapted toenable one skill in the art to make and use the present invention.

The relationship created in step 402 may be, for example, those shown inTable 3 below.

TABLE 3 Voice Command Channel “Sports” 4, 12, 88 “Music Video” 89, 101“News” 55, 66, 77 “Comedy Channel” 24

Each of the voice commands shown in the left column of Table 3 isassociated with one or more channels. A voice command in the left columncan represent a specific channel, for example, “Comedy Channel” is avoice command that is associated exclusively with Channel 24. A voicecommand in the left column may also represent a genre, for example, eachof Channels 4, 12, and 88 is associated with a genre called “Sports”.For discussion purposes, assume that “Sports” is a speech segment spokenby a user.

In step 408, signal generator 390 transmits the digital signal receivedfrom converter 330 over the air. In step 410, signal receiving circuit380 receives the transmitted signal from signal generator 390.

Steps 412 and 414 are similar to steps 208 and 210, respectively, thatare shown in FIG. 2 and described above.

In step 416, tuner 360 tunes in to a first channel of the genreidentified in step 414. For example, if the speech segment received instep 404 was “Sports”, then the first channel can be one of Channels 4,12, 88. Output device 370 then reproduces the sound and images beingbroadcast by the first channel.

In step 418, system 300 monitors whether the user interrupts. If theuser interrupts, the process goes to step 420. Otherwise, the processgoes to step 422. The user can interrupt, for example, by pressing anappropriate button on remote control unit 302 or by speaking asubsequent speech segment. The subsequent speech segment may comprise,for example, “Stop”, “I like this”, “News”, “Music Video”, etc.,provided that the subsequent speech segment has been previously storedin memory 350 as a voice command.

In step 420, tuner 360 stays tuned to the first channel and the processreturns to step 404.

In step 422, tuner 360 tunes to another channel of the genre. Steps 422and 418 repeat unless the user interrupts in step 418 with a valid voicecommand. The duration spent on one channel can be set to, for example,between about one second and about 30 seconds or other duration. Theorder in which the channels of the genre are tuned in to can bepredetermined. For example, in the case of the “Sports” genre, Channels4, 12, and 88 can be tuned in to in step 422 in one of several orders,including “4-12-88-4”, “4-88-12-4”, and the like.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating general steps involved in usinganother embodiment of the present invention, in which a triggering wordor phrase from a user is required before a receiver begins to take voicecommand.

In step 502, information is stored in a memory of a receiver asdescribed above in step 202. However, the information stored in step 502further comprises one or more triggering words or phrases. A user mustspeak one of the triggering words or phrases before the receiver canimplement or execute any valid voice commands. Examples of thetriggering words and phrases can include “Activate Voice Command” orother words or phrases. The use of the triggering words and phrases caneliminate accidental change of channels due to spoken voice commandsthat are not intended as voice commands. For example, a user may say “FM107.9” to another person during a conversation, but not intended to tuneto the station associated with “FM 107.9”.

In steps 504-508, the receiver, through the interactions of itscomponents including a microphone, a processor, and the memory, monitorsfor the triggering word. As a user or users speak, the process involvedin steps 504-508 repeats itself unless a valid triggering word or phraseis detected in step 508. During the steps 504-508 cycle, a speechsegment that would have otherwise been interpreted as a valid command instep 514, would not be recognized by the receiver.

When a triggering word or phrase is detected in step 508, the processgoes to step 510. In step 510, the system begins to monitor for voicecommands by capturing speech segments. The process continuously repeatssteps 510 through 514 until a valid voice command is detected.Preferably, the steps 510-514 cycle can be adapted to last for aspecific duration. For example, the duration may be between about oneand about ten seconds. In such preferred embodiment, if no valid voicecommand is detected during the duration specified in step 516, theprocess can be adapted to return to step 504.

If a valid voice command is detected in step 514, the process goes tostep 518. In step 518, a tuner of the receiver tunes in to a channelthat is associated with the voice command. In step 520, an output deviceof the receiver outputs the programs of the channel. Unless the receiveris powered off in step 522, the process returns to step 504, in whichthe receiver monitors for another triggering word or phrase before anyvoice command will be acceptable.

In describing representative embodiments of the present invention, thespecification may have presented the method and/or process of thepresent invention as a particular sequence of steps. However, to theextent that the method or process does not rely on the particular orderof steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limitedto the particular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skillin the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible.Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in thespecification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. Inaddition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of thepresent invention should not be limited to the performance of theirsteps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readilyappreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within thespirit and scope of the present invention.

The foregoing disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations andmodifications of the embodiments described herein will be obvious to oneof ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scopeof the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto,and by their equivalents.

1. A broadcast programming receiver comprising: a microphone forcapturing a speech segment from a user of the receiver and generating ananalog signal representative of the speech segment; a converter forconverting the analog signal into a digital signal representative of thespeech segment; a processor for interpreting the digital signal anddetermining whether the speech segment comprises a voice commandassociated with a genre comprising a plurality of channels; a tuner fortuning in to at least one channel associated with the voice commandwherein the tuner tunes in to a first channel of the genre for aduration before tuning in to a second channel of the genre; and anoutput device for reproducing programming broadcast on the channel. 2.The receiver of claim 1, further comprising a memory in communicationwith the processor, wherein the memory comprises an association of thevoice command and the channel.
 3. The receiver of claim 1, wherein thevoice command is exclusively associated with the plurality of channels.4. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the channel is associated with thevoice command and at least one other voice command.
 5. The receiver ofclaim 1, wherein the voice command comprises one or more words.
 6. Thereceiver of claim 1, wherein the voice command comprises a voice of theuser.
 7. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the duration is between aboutone second and about 30 seconds.
 8. The receiver of claim 1, wherein thereceiver is one of a radio, a television, and a video cassette player.9. A method for operating a broadcast programming receiver comprisingthe steps of: associating a plurality of voice commands with a pluralityof channels wherein a voice command of the plurality of voice commandsis associated with a genre comprising one or more channels of theplurality of channels; storing a result of the associating step in amemory of the receiver; capturing a speech segment from a user using amicrophone of the receiver; determining whether the speech segmentmatches one of the plurality of voice commands using a processor of thereceiver; tuning in to one or more of the plurality of channels that areassociated with the speech segment using a tuner of the receiver; andtuning in to each of the one or more channels associated with the genrefor a duration.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein a second voicecommand of the plurality of voice commands is exclusively associatedwith one channel of the plurality of channels.
 11. The method of claim9, wherein a channel of the plurality of channels is associated with twoor more voice commands of the plurality of voice commands.
 12. Themethod of claim 9, wherein a voice command of the plurality of voicecommand comprises one or more words.
 13. The method of claim 9, whereinthe duration is between about one second and about 30 seconds.
 14. Themethod of claim 9, further comprising the step of capturing a secondspeech segment from the user.
 15. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising the step of tuning in to a specific channel associated withthe genre if the second speech segment is recognized by the processor asa voice command of the plurality of voice commands.
 16. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the receiver is one of a radio, a television, and avideo cassette player.
 17. A method for operating a broadcastprogramming receiver comprising the steps of: associating a plurality ofvoice commands with a plurality of channels, wherein the plurality ofthe voice commands are created using a voice of a user and wherein avoice command of the plurality of voice commands is associated with agenre comprising one or more channels of the plurality of channels;storing a result of the associating step in a memory of the receiver;capturing a speech segment using a microphone of the receiver;determining whether the speech segment matches one of the plurality ofvoice commands; tuning in to one or more of the plurality of channelsthat are associated with the speech segment using a tuner of thereceiver if the speech segment matches one of the plurality of voicecommands; and tuning in to each of the one or more channels associatedwith the genre for a duration.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein asecond voice command of the plurality of voice commands is exclusivelyassociated with one channel of the plurality of channels.
 19. The methodof claim 17, further comprising the step of capturing a second speechsegment using the microphone and the step of turning in to a differentchannel of the plurality of channels if the second speech segment isdetermined by the processor to be a voice command of the plurality ofvoice commands.
 20. A broadcast programming receiver comprising: amicrophone for capturing a speech segment from a user of the receiverand generating an analog signal representative of the speech segment; aconverter for converting the analog signal into a digital signalrepresentative of the speech segment; a processor for interpreting thedigital signal and determining whether the speech segment comprises avoice command associated with a genre comprising a plurality ofchannels; a tuner for tuning in to at least one channel associated withthe voice command wherein the tuner tunes in to a first channel of thegenre for a duration between about one second and about 30 secondsbefore tuning in to a second channel of the genre; and an output devicefor reproducing programming broadcast on the channel.
 21. A method foroperating a broadcast programming receiver comprising the steps of:Associating a plurality of voice commands with a plurality of channelswherein a voice command of the plurality of voice commands is associatedwith a genre comprising one or more channels of the plurality ofchannels; storing a result of the associating step in a memory of thereceiver, capturing a speech segment from a user using a microphone ofthe receiver; determining whether the speech segment matches one of theplurality of voice commands using a processor of the receiver; andtuning in to one or more of the plurality of channels that areassociated with the speech segment using a tuner of the receiver; andtuning in to each of the one or more channels associated with the genrefor a duration between about one second and about 30 seconds.